Happy 34th Hubby :)

My husband turned 34 on March 28th....and I'm just getting around to this blog.....

Anyway, I think the birthday was a big hit.  The birthday boy's request was for the most chocolately cake I could come up with.  Well, I took this challenge to heart.

A view from the side

A view from the top

Up close with the m&m's

Finally got all the candles on!

Call the fire department!

The excitement builds....

Blow!!!!

The carnage

After posting some pics on fb - I got requests for the recipe.  Here's what I did:

2 8" rounds of chocolate cake (box mix - made according to package directions)
1 8" round of flourless chocolate cake (not because it was flourless - just because it tastes like a cross between fudge and brownies)
1 tub cool whip
2 large Heath bars
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup mini m&m's
2 large Kit-Kats
1 can chocolate frosting
milk chocolate for shavings on top

The recipe for the flourless chocolate cake comes from Epicurious.com.

I added the 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips to the top of the flourless chocolate cake before baking.

After baking and cooling the cakes, I stacked them alternating regular and flourless.  In hindsight, I'd recommend putting the flourless chocolate cake on the bottom because it'll make the cake easier to cut.

So, first cake round on the cake plate, then I topped with cool whip (could use whipped cream, but my hubby is lactose intolerant).  I put a couple crushed candy bars on, then topped with the next layer.  I did this again and once the third layer was on, I covered the entire cake in chocolate frosting, added m&m's to the sides and chocolate shavings to the top.

Since it has cool whip, it needs to be refrigerated.  This makes the flourless chocolate cake layer very fudgy-thick, which is why I would recommend it as the bottom layer.

Add or subtract amounts and change up candy bars until it's the right mix for you.  Be forewarned, it's SUPER rich....but oh so delicious!

Goodbye Grandpa

LB and I took an unexpected trip up north this week.  My grandfather passed away at the age of 89 on March 18th.

He was an Irishman through and through and it was fitting that he got to spend one last St. Patrick's Day on earth before getting to meet the guy himself in heaven.  He was born in Northern Michigan and after spending his youth on the farm, served in the military during WWII and worked in Chicago until he retired back up north with my grandma in the late 80's. 

He built his own retirement home in MI and I remember helping him build it as kids.  I think I would've been about 8, and as I look back, I kinda wonder at the wisdom of giving me a hammer...... 

My grandfather reminds me of no one so much as my younger sister, #8.  He was quiet most of the time, but every now and then he would say something so profound or funny that it would make you wonder what was going on behind the quiet surface.  I have fond memories of a quiet, gentle and kind grandpa who enjoyed reading the paper, always carried his reading glasses in his front shirt pocket and liked nothing more than walking around his garden with his hands behind his back planning the plants he would plant or surveying his work. 

He was the perfect balance to my outgoing grandmother.  The quiet to her boisterous, the stillness to her busyness.  They were married 60 years and watching my grandmother as we laid him to rest, I couldn't help but be awed by the magnitude of such a long life together.  The fruit of their lives together stood all around her wheelchair as we bid him a final farewell. 

As a veteran, the honor guard was on hand to play one last farewell and sound off with a gun salute.  It was hauntingly beautiful when the bugles played.  One sounded from a distance against the rest and it was as if Grandpa's bugle was sounding from far off on his journey home.  When my grandmother was presented with the American flag, tears I thought I had finished crying sprung up at the finality of such a presentation.

The blessings in such a hard parting did not go unnoticed.  My grandfather was in failing health for several years and when he passed it was peacefully and painlessly in his sleep.  He had two of his children by his side and all of his children and grandchildren at his burial.

The gathering at the funeral and burial was mostly family, but the fruit of their marriage was impressive.  My mother has 4 siblings, who were all in attendance with their children and the spouses who could be there.  All of my eight siblings and I were there, as well.  I felt wrapped in family as we mourned together and I hope Grandma had that same sensation. 

Even though it was difficult, it was amazing to see all my brothers and sisters.  I know I've talked before about how much I enjoy them, but there's just nothing that compares to having us all together.  There was laughter in the midst of tears and joy in youth as we celebrated a long life well lived.  As I mentioned, my second to youngest sister reminds me so much of Grandpa - the joy of big families is seeing those personalities carry on and help keep our departed close in our hearts. We will still miss him, and it'll be hard when we go to MI for our family reunion and he's not there this summer, but I'm trying to remember the beauty of a life well-lived and the rewards that are waiting for him.

Rest in peace Grandpa.  May the journey home be swift and the gardens of heaven ready for your inspection.

Macaroni Experiments - Part 1

A friend of mine recently had her fourth child.  As I've mentioned in past posts, one of the great and nurturing things about the homeschool community I belong to is the bringing of meals to families experiencing a new arrival, an illness or even death in the family.  This act of service to each other is important to me and I try to get meals to everyone I can who comes across our listserv as in need of something from the heart and kitchen.

I've also been following pinterest rather a lot and feel like I can only justify this with actually doing and using the things I find on there.

So, I found a baked macaroni and cheese recipe.  Being Lent, I thought this would be a great time to try out a meatless meal for my friend.  Here's the link to the recipe I started with:  Baked Mac and Cheese.

I made a few changes to the recipe - and will make a few more next time I make it (hence the Part 1 in the title).

First, I used a 32oz box of macaroni.

Next, I didn't want to get a canning jar lid dirty in the process of making the mac and cheese, since they're disposable and it's not canning season yet - so they're not readily replaceable in the stores right now.

So, I used my Ninja (I could do a whole blog on how much I love my Ninja). Varying from the recipe, I also used a 16 oz container of sour cream and about double the flour and milk it called for (since I had 4x times the noodles).

My Ninja did a great job blending the ingredients together.

Enter the cheese and noodles:

Obviously, with 4x the noodles and much more sauce, I probably should have used more than 48 oz of cheese, again, experiments aren't always perfect - this is just part 1! 

It made enough for 2 giant casseroles.

I didn't have any store-bought bread crumbs, so I took my first whack at homemade bread crumbs.....I used whole wheat bread and will probably never buy bread crumbs again!  It was just bread dried in the toaster and - again - some Ninja action!

A thing of beauty may be a joy forever....so long as it's not edible.  I drizzled butter over the top per the recipe and then tasted it straight from the oven.  I promptly boxed up half this casserole and gave it to my brother and s-i-l who aren't eating meat this Lent because I was worried I would single-handedly eat the entire pan otherwise!

I also made some knot rolls to go with the casserole:

Because pre-made biscuits were just too easy to pass up.....

Rolled them out like a log of play-dough and twisted them into knots.  After baking, I brushed them with butter and Parmesan cheese....any herbs/seasonings you like would be just as great.

So, as I mentioned, this posting is only Part 1.  This is because I've been thinking about that mac and cheese and how I could improve on it basically since I finished eating it.

My hubby has a birthday party coming up.  It's a hot dog roast where everyone is bringing a side dish.  I usually provide the hot dogs and their accessories, pop and one or two sides to get these kinds of parties rolling at our place.  In addition to the standard couple bags of chips, I'll be making mac and cheese.

I'll be sure to post my refined recipe, but here's what I'm thinking so you have something to look forward to:

Keep the sour cream, add grated onions, increase liquid content slightly, layer in provolone and muenster cheese slices in addition to the cheddar......try not to get sick eating too much!

It's going to be epic.  If you can't wait for the finished recipe, try out the link in the meantime - it'll get you by until the party in a couple weeks when I can post the recipe.....or if you're lucky enough to know where I live, stop by and have a bite :)

Little Photographer

LB loves to take pictures....some of them look good, others are part of the learning curve :)

This week, she took some pictures and I took some of her.  We had a great time goofing around.

Posing with the belly (27 weeks)

Of course you should turn spaghetti into a mustache...

She's got her own style!

Cheesing it up

7 months pregnant

Crazy faces

Like mother, like daughter!

One of the wonderful things about our homeschool community is that we bring each other meals on occasion to help each other (birth of a child, family illness, etc).  One of my friends has recently had her fourth daughter and tomorrow I'll be making a meal to bring to her. 

I found a couple good recipes on Pinterest and with some slight modifications, I'm going to make them for their dinner (and a little extra for ours!).  I'll be sure to take some pictures of the modified recipes to share.

Our zoo opened yesterday and we went with a friend to check out all the new animals that were born over the winter.  Look for those pictures soon......

The pregnancy continues to be uneventful (praise God!), but I do have the dreaded glucose screening today.  I don't anticipate a problem, just gotta get it done.

Looking forward to all the warm days ahead and 84ish days till baby!

Like a Stack of Pancakes....

Ever have those nightmares that you're at a final exam and you've never been to the class?  How about the one where you have to do some really specific task (like perform surgery) and you've got no idea why everyone is counting on you to do it? 

That feeling of, "holy cow, how am I going to do this?" is starting to creep up on my when it comes to getting our house ready for baby.  I've made peace with the fact that we're not going to have a third bedroom or perfectly organized everything the day we get home from the hospital.....but I'm starting to feel like I haven't made ANY progress towards getting the attic finished, the basement organized to take on all the stuff we're currently storing in the attic.....or even keeping the house tidy. 

Recently, my elderly neighbor (93!) told me that 8 people used to live in our house (it's 740 sq ft).  That got me thinking about what expectations we have for our homes now compared to generations past.  Older generations knew how to make do, my generation doesn't seem to have a knack for that.  We don't know how to fit people into close proximity....we need mega mansions and AT LEAST 2 bathrooms. 

How did it get to be this way?  How did we start equating space with happiness?  At what point did it become not ok to stack kids up like pancakes?

All things Valentine

So, I DID make it to the fabric store to start working on tutus for the girls, but haven't made much progress on them yet.  I hope there will be pictures to follow next time, but life is about to get crazy again with work. 

In the meantime, some highlights from our family's Valentine's Day.

An early morning treat to start the day right.

A closer look because my husband said it was hard to tell they were hearts when they were in a ring :)

A happy recipient!

The perfect hair for a Valentine's Day celebration.

We actually made it out over the weekend without the kids!

The pregnancy is going well - here are some of the most recent pics:

 So, I think this one is about 22 weeks.

This one is just over 24 weeks.  People keep telling me that I don't look noticeably pregnant.....looking at this picture, I think to myself they're either being very charitable or don't remember what I used to look like!

Life is just as busy as ever, but it'll be busier still in a few months, so I'm trying to find time to get the house in order and get some projects done pre-new baby.  I'm also vacillating between worrying about my weight and eating Valentine treats :)  I'm trying out new/more exercises in hopes that this will slow down my weight gain a little (I've gone from being the star patient for not gaining any weight one month to the chastised patient for gaining a couple extra.....)  I'm trying to stay focused and not gain unnecessary weight - after all, every extra pound I gain is one that has to come back off again (hopefully) afterwards!  I do have the occasional, "BUT I'M HUNGRY!!!" moment, but overall, I'm doing pretty well :)

On some days, my husband is able to make it home for lunch, which is nice because I can go for a walk/very slow jog on the college campus a couple blocks from our house.  On the other days, I'm working on strength and stretching, or, like today, taking the kiddos with (much to LB's chagrin - she's not a fan of walks).  I haven't changed my diet a whole lot, after all, I'M HUNGRY! =P  We'll see how the extra exercise goes this month, if that doesn't slow the weight gain to where the doctor wants, breads and other sweet treats will be on the chopping block :( 

If I don't talk about how I've been working out regularly, everyone should offer to watch my kids so I can go get to it!  :)

Hubby's job has been highs and lows, but walking by faith is a learning process, just like regular walking.  We're still in the pulling ourselves up on the furniture phase I think, but we're working on it! 

Thanks for all the prayers and know that your intentions are in mine.

Family Day

We're lucky enough to live in an area with lots of fun family activities.  LB is doing swim lessons on Saturday mornings, but after swim lessons, we headed off to one of our local middle schools had a science fair. 

We found out about it through my brother that is a student teacher in that school district.  We were already planning a trip to our local art museum for their family day, but decided to make it a double feature by heading to the science fair first.

Of course I forgot to bring my camera in to the science fair, but LB had a great time holding baby chicks, listening to a talk on (and seeing!) birds of prey and experimenting with dry ice. 

At the art museum, I made sure to get pictures and here are a couple:

This week, we also dog sat for an old friend.  The sweet pup is one of LB's favorite furry people in the world and she had a great time playing with her :)

We also had a field trip this week to our local military history museum.  LB had the most fun in the dress-up/children's room.

And the big accomplishment of the week......LB got 100% on her spelling test!  This warranted a treat:

LB is a huge fan of press-on nails and has been working on getting 100% for a few weeks to earn a set :)

Next week I should have the week off work and I got some fabric in the mail that I'm so excited about.  I hope next week sees a how-to blog on my newest creation for the girls!